Sunset Beach vs Waggrakine
In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Sunset Beach: a median of $650,000, against $581,000 in Waggrakine, and rent is higher there too.
Which one suits you?
There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.
Families with school-age kids
Waggrakine
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
- is already more of a family suburb (66% vs 58%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Sunset Beach has cheaper land ($210,000 vs $290,050)
- Waggrakine has cheaper houses ($581,000 vs $650,000)
Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
Sunset Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (34% vs 24%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Sunset Beach
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (56/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (284 min vs 289 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (422.7 km vs 426.2 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Sunset Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (56/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Waggrakine
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (12.9% vs 6.3%)
Weighs house yield and population growth.
Where they sit
Sunset Beach and Waggrakine drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.
Side by side, out of 100
Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.
Demographics
Waggrakine has more residents (2,679 vs 1,558).
| Sunset Beach | Waggrakine | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,558 | 2,679 +72% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +6.3% | +12.9% |
| Median age | 37 | 36 |
| Median household income | $90,480/yr +8% vs other | $83,460/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $310/wk +6% vs other | $290/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.8%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.6%).
Where residents were born
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.5%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Sunset Beach | Waggrakine | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $650,000 | $581,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $210,000 | $290,050 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 31 days from 14 sales | 26 days from 11 sales |
House price by bedroom count
Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.
22 vs 24 sales
36 vs 32 sales
Development activity
| Sunset Beach | Waggrakine | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 183 across Greater Geraldton same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -30% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Sunset Beach | Waggrakine | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 4.8% $695/wk on $750K | 4.9% $665/wk on $699K |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within WA
| Sunset Beach | Waggrakine | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | — | Higher than 46% of WA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 85% of WA | Higher than 64% of WA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 9% of WA | Higher than 10% of WA |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 99% of WA | Higher than 93% of WA |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 75% of WA | Higher than 81% of WA |
Liveability
Sunset Beach is more walkable (56 vs 0).
| Sunset Beach | Waggrakine | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D same for both | |
| Score | 27/100 | 25/100 |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
Sunset Beach carries more flood risk (43 vs 0); Sunset Beach carries more bushfire risk (56 vs 34).
| Sunset Beach | Waggrakine | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 56/100 | Low 34/100 |
| Crime | High 86/100 | High 84/100 |
| Flood | Moderate 43/100 | None 0/100 |
| Coastal erosion | High 76/100 | None 0/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 3 within 5 km | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Sunset Beach | Waggrakine | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Sunset Beach
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Waggrakine
- Waggrakine Primary School Government · Primary above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Sunset Beach | Waggrakine | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 same for both | |
| GPs | 1 | 0 |
Mobility
Waggrakine sits further from the CBD (426.2 km vs 422.7 km).
| Sunset Beach | Waggrakine | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 56/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Perth | 422.7 km | 426.2 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 284 min | 289 min |
| Public transport score | 35/100 Bus | 40/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 6.8 7-9am + 5-7pm | 7.8 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 1 min scheduled, not actual same for both | |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 6530 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 47 postcode 6530 same for both | |
How people get to work
Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (89.3%).
Setting
| Sunset Beach | Waggrakine | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 18 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 99 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 369 m | 4.6 km |
NBN connectivity
| Sunset Beach | Waggrakine | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 100/100 | 81/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 100% 791 premises | 72% 1,080 premises |
Climate
| Sunset Beach | Waggrakine | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 353 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Sunset Beach | Waggrakine | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $3,162/yr same for both | |
| Council | Greater Geraldton same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Sunset Beach | Waggrakine | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Durack same for both | |
| Member | Melissa Price same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Sunset Beach | Waggrakine | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $800,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Sunset Beach
Waggrakine
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Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.